The rise of "Veganism" is being seen across countries all over the world and affecting multiple food and health-based industries. Companies are only now starting to become aware of the ever-present vegan inspired consumer demographic, with their voices even making waves in the complementary medicine industry in the form of vegan-based supplements. This is the birth child of both veganism and the clean label movement.
Diving into the World of Vegan Supplements
A plant-based diet has been backed up by numerous researchers as a great way to live a healthier lifestyle, with key benefits helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, promote weight loss and overall life longevity (1). But it's important to note that completely cutting out both meat and dairy products leaves you missing vital vitamins and minerals like iron and vitamins A and B. Due to this nutritional gap, Vegans are now looking to complementary medicine companies to develop products that satisfy both their dietary requirements and ethical principles (2).
Based on this, supplement companies have responded by amending their product catalogues to include vegan-based options that are supplements that don't contain any traces of animal products or by-products in their ingredient list. Examples include using plant-based alternatives when constructing a tablet, powder and liquid.
Despite starting slow, the list of vegan-based products has grown substantially over the last couple of years, with multiple supplement companies incorporating several vegan alternatives mimicking their main product lines. Some of these include vegan-based vitamin B12 tablets, iron tablets, protein powders, Long-chain omega-3s capsules, zinc and multivitamins (3).
Empowered by the Clean Label Movement
The clean label movement is a topic that we touched on in a previous blog. But for the unfamiliar, the clean label movement can be defined as a worldwide undertaking by health-focused consumers that aims to make a more wholesome product by streamlining a product's ingredients lists by removing all unnecessary chemical elements and additives (4). This benefits the consumer by providing them with a safer and risk-free mindset when choosing and consuming a product.
This ideology has helped empower the creation of vegan supplements, as their ingredients list tends to be from more natural and botanical sources. An example of this can be seen in recent clean-label capsule innovation, in which certain companies have changed the colour of capsules by concentrating and extracting different fruits, vegetables and edible plants with a similar colour pallet to create a new capsule outer layer (5).
Hence it's likely that this partnership between vegan supplements and the clean label movement will continue to go strong, as findings from a recent study highlight that 70% of consumers who purchased supplements were strongly influenced by the product's ingredients list and placed a high priority on knowing the sourcing of their products when making their purchasing decisions (6), highlighting that vegan supplements are not only likely to stay but only grow in importance.
Key Ingredients in the Vegan Supplements Space
Almega PL
Almega PL® is a premier ingredient in the omega 3 space, as it helps to provide similar health benefits but comes from an all-natural and sustainable source. Almega PL® is created through farming an organic strain of microalgae called Nannochloropsis oculata, which is sustainably grown and naturally contains high quantities of Omega-3 EPA at 25% (7). Shown to have a significant positive effect on cardiovascular health, inflammation and mental health function.
Oligopin
Oligopin® is a powerful antioxidant found in the heart of southern France and considered to be one of the most purified pine bark extracts on today's current market. French maritime pine tree (Pinus pinaster) extract (8) is rich in bioflavonoids, a crucial plant-based compound that has multiple recorded benefits regarding improving skin, muscle and cardiovascular system health (9). Recent studies have linked it to improving bone development, as its natural antioxidant proprieties were found effective in increasing bone resorption and reducing bone turnover (10).
Olivactive
Olivactive® is the forefront ingredient within the immune health category, as its olive leaf extract is a natural source of Oleuropein, a chemical compound known for its superior antioxidant capacity (11). Olivactive® is locally sourced from a unique type of olive tree found in Spain and is proven to improve the user's immune system, which can increase the chances of fighting infections and preventing a weakened immune system. Olivactive® is still expected by many to continue being at the forefront of immune health as its all-natural roots help to appeal to consumers as a natural, effective and safe solution for immunity (11).
The Future of Vegan Supplements
A lot of industry experts have noted that vegan supplements are not only here to stay, they are likely to grow in importance and demand, with the market expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.9% from 2021 to 2028. This is due to the increased adoption from the Asia-Pacific region, specifically in countries like India, China, Australia and New Zealand (12).
As the prevalence of vegan supplements continues to grow, so does the importance for supplement companies to develop a diverse range of vegan-based options pertaining to multiple health categories, and with the current ingredient tools at their disposal, it's now easier than ever to enter the space.
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Reference List
1. Rush, 2022. Health Benefits of a Vegan Diet. [online] Rush University System for Health. Available at: <https://www.rush.edu/news/health-benefits-vegan-diet> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
2. Finley, S., 2022. Should vegans take supplements?. [online] livescience.com. Available at: <https://www.livescience.com/should-vegans-take-supplements> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
3. Petre, A., 2019. 7 Supplements You Need on a Vegan Diet. [online] Healthline. Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-supplements-for-vegans#_noHeaderPrefixedContent> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
4. Winston, A., 2015. Keeping Up with the "Clean Label" Movement. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: <https://hbr.org/2015/10/keeping-up-with-the-clean-label-movement#:~:text=In%20the%20food%20world%2C%20a,%E2%80%9CNo%20No%20List%E2%80%9D> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
5. Lonza, n.d. Capsule Products With Clean Label Ingredients | Lonza CHI. [online] Capsugel. Available at: <https://www.capsugel.com/product-suites/clean-label> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
6. Gabriels, G. and Lambert, M., 2013. Nutritional supplement products: does the label information influence purchasing decisions for the physically active?. Nutrition Journal, [online] 12(1). Available at: <https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-12-133> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
7. Nutra ingredients, 2015. Almega PL™ omega-3s from the original source—algae. [online] nutraingredients-usa.com. Available at: <https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Product-innovations/Almega-PL-omega-3s-from-the-original-source-algae> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
8. Encyclopedia.com, 2018. Bioflavonoids | Encyclopedia.com. [online] Encyclopedia.com. Available at: <https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/diseases-and-conditions/pathology/bioflavonoids> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
9. Chardin, P., n.d. France's Biggest Forest Was Planted by People. [online] Meridian. Available at: <https://www.meridian.net/france/2017/1/4/14166464/landes-forest-france> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
10.Ziba Majidi , Mohammad Ansari , Zhila Maghbooli , Afsaneh Ghasemi , Shadi Sadat Seyyed Ebrahimi , Arash Hossein-nezhad , Solaleh Emamgholipour , Oligopin®Supplementation Mitigates Oxidative Stress in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Phytomedicine (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153417
11.Pharmactive, n.d. Strengthen the immune system naturally | Pharmactive Biotech Products. [online] Pharmactive Biotech Products. Available at: <https://pharmactive.eu/ingredient/olivactive_r-strengthens-immune-system/> [Accessed 2 June 2022].
12.Allied Market Research, 2022. Vegan Supplements Market Size, Share | Industry Report by 2028. [online] Allied Market Research. Available at: <https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/vegan-supplements-market-A11388> [Accessed 2 June 2022].